Nine alumni and other public policy professionals will be sitting down with students and talking about careers in a La Follette School speed-networking session on Thursday, March 26.
Lilly Shields, left, and Catherine Hall, center, listen to Maureen Quinn, a 2006 alum and an analyst with the Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau.
The professionals from the public and private sectors will meet individually with two or three students for 5 minutes. When their time is up, the students will shift to the next professional. Career Development Coordinator Mary Russell will ring a bell to signal the move.
“This gathering is a valuable and fun way for students to learn about career opportunities,” Russell says. “Students may not initially appreciate a specific agency or career path, but after they talk with a variety of people and hear about different employers, they see more options to pursue.”
Networking — finding someone who knows someone who knows someone — is an important component of the job search, Russell says, as is practice at articulating one’s career goals and interests. “Our alumni are very well-connected with people in Wisconsin, the federal government and elsewhere, and they are interested in helping our students succeed in their careers and job searches.”
Professional participants can learn more about what is going on at their alma mater, share their experiences and scope out potential employees. “Alumni and friends can talk with students in a relaxed setting before an actual job application process starts,” notes John Montgomery, a 1977 alum who is a deputy administrator with the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance of Wisconsin. He will participate in the speed-networking session for the second time. “We can let students know we’re interested in them and that we view the La Follette School as a good place to recruit,” he says.
The professionals represent an excellent cross-section of La Follette alumni and friends, Russell says, with some who just graduated in May to others who have been in involved with public affairs for 30 years. In addition to Montgomery, alumni who plan to participate include graduates from 1979, 1982, 1985, 1996 and 2008. Joining them are two graduates of the professional development seminar the La Follette School offers to mid-career women in public affairs in a partnership with the nonprofit organization Wisconsin Women in Government.
Several work for the State of Wisconsin. One, who just completed a dual degree in law and public affairs, is an attorney with a Madison law firm. Another handles marketing for an engineering firm. Two are based at the University of Wisconsin, working in community development and mental health.
“The range of backgrounds our alumni and friends are bringing to the speed-networking is impressive,” Russell says. “A La Follette School degree can take a person in many directions.”
The session is 5:30-8 p.m. in Grainger Hall. For information, contact Russell at mrussell@lafollette.wisc.edu.
— posted March 23, 2009; updated December 1, 2009